Selenskyj will cheer, Putin won’t like it at all – and Austria, despite all the resistance, has apparently given in after all (eXXpress reported): Ukraine and Moldova will be given EU candidate status. An agreement was reached on this, as EU Council President Charles Michel announced on Twitter on Thursday evening. It was “a historic moment”, the day marks “a decisive step on your way to the EU”, Michel said in the direction of the two countries.
Although the decision of the high heads in Brussels does not come out of the blue, it still raises questions about what must have happened behind the scenes and what must have been discussed until the very end. Ukraine has wished for rapprochement with the EU for years – an aspiration that Russia’s war of aggression has only fueled and facilitated its success – but the reservations that existed before remain.
Some countries spoke out steadfastly against accession and in favor of a kind of “interim solution” – including Austria. Was the pressure from the supporters under Commission President Ursula van der Leyen too great? Or how can it be explained that not only Austria, but also Slovenia and, to a lesser extent, Croatia, the Netherlands and yes, France too, have given in to their skeptical to negative attitude?
